CS34 Grand Daughter Dingy Ride

Our 4 year old grand daughter wanted to do a sleep over on the boat.

We had a nice evening on the boat and slept well.

She want to go out for dingy ride, but the motor would not start, so I called my friend Walter to borrow his.  Emelia has a BLAST!

We toured all the boats in the club, then headed out into Lake Ontario for a bit.

Flat calm.

2014 Sailing Season

1794.16 nautical miles travelled.

Moving Average: 4.9 knots

Moving Time: 322 hours (13.44 days)

Left the dock a total of 64 times:

• 25 times on big Still Time
• 22 times on little Still Time
• 5 times on Santeria
• Twice on Coug
• Twice on MacIntosh
• Twice on Tiare
• Once on Mad Hatter
• Once on Skana
• Once on Sumac

We got out on the big boat a lot more this year.  We are getting more and more comfortable with her.

It was a very busy spring getting the boats ready before going to Holland for a couple of weeks.  It was slow to start using the CS34 because of problems with the new instruments.  Really didn't have to boat ready until the middle of June.

The improvements on the CS34 were great.  The new cabin cushions really spruced up the inside.  Love the new instruments, and especially like the new stack pack.

Racing on MacIntosh on the Mablehead to Halifax was an awesome experience.

Looks like I didn't miss much with the Lake Ontario 300!  Glad to not spend 5 windless days on the lake.

Still Time was great hotel at the Oakville Club for the RBC Canadian Open.

Only got out on Santeria 5 times, as they changed their race nights from Tuesday to Thursday, which conflicted with the Whitby Yacht Club singlehanded series.  In the summer I was too busy to get out on Thursday nights.

Our 2013 cruise to the south shore of Lake Ontario was great!

The improvements to the rigging on the C22 were welcomed.  The new jib tracks are great, the cabintop winches and deck organizers awesome.

Racing little Still Time was an absolute treat.  My 26 year old daughter Melissa is really taking to it.  At the beginning of the season, she was very green, but by the end of the season she really understood all the terms and had a feel for it.  John is getting better and better every year on the helm.  For our efforts, Still Time took overall for division 1 (small white sail) for the year!

Upgrade plans for little Still Time

• spinnaker track and pole ring (received)
• boom track and reefing car (received)
• new rudder (received)
• new pintles and gudgeons (received)
• new rear transom trim (received)
• repair autohelm

Upgrade plans for big Still Time

• replace scupper hoses (critical)
• add side deck scuppers
• fix jib track leaks
• new autohelm
• bulkhead instrument display
• new cockpit table (ordered)
• stern perch seats (ordered)
• hook up remote ram mike
• clean and repair sails (done)
• asymmetric cruising spinnaker

The Annapolis Boat Show was a great way to finish the season.

Santeria on YouTube

Love sailing on Santeria:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWGCxTzBpo

Santeria in Newcastle

Neil asked me to come out for the Sunday Newcastle race, as lots of wind was forecast, and he didn't want to go out singlehanded.

Forecast was for 14-20 knots from the west, so very wavy.  Course was set as N-W-E-N-W-N.  The two of us went out with full main and #1.  We majorly tensioned the outhaul and halyard to flatten the main.  We also moved the jib cars back and in to put some twist in the foresail to depower the bottom and spill wind out the top.  PERFECT AMOUNT OF SAIL!

We had a great start and got about a 3 minute lead after the first and second legs.  Not enough in corrected time on our competitors.  On the last upwind leg, we decided to go offshore where there was more wind.  Everytime you go close to shore, there is less wind, and the current affects you.  PLUS you sail more distance.  This was a turning point, as we took line honours by 9 minutes.

Great race; LOVE sailing on Santeria!

Trip Odometer: 11.3 miles
Moving Average: 4.4 knots
Maximum Speed: 7.6 knots
Trip Odometer: 02:32:00

Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130915.kmz

Santeria Newcastle Last Thursday Race

Last Thursday night race.

Neil was asking for crew because there was going to be tons on north wind tonight.
I couldn't because of a board meeting for the WYC nomination committee.

I talked with John Berry after work, and he said to go, race, we can do the nomination committee stuff after you get back.

Neil, Peter, and I, full main and #1.

Winds were lighter than the forecast from the NW, about 10 knots with gusts close to 20.
Four boats.

We got the boat moving really well.  We were 30 seconds late on the start, but still crossed the line before everyone else.  We made sure we got windward of Cajun on the first leg, and led the race the entire 5 legs of the triangle.

Santeria a 24 foot boat beat the 34/32/26 foot boats out there.
Perfect conditions for her.

Love sailing with Neil and Peter.

Trip Odometer: 10.12 miles
Moving Average: 4.5 knots
Moving Time: 02:23:00

Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130905.kmz

Santeria Whitby 50

Neil, Rod (from Newcastle), and I sailed Santeria in an overnight race from Whitby to the Leslie Street spit and back.  Race started at 9pm with 14 boats, including one from Frenchman's Bay, one from Cobourg, and of course Santeria from Newcastle.

Winds were forecast to be light 5-8 knots from the E, and swing to SW and pickup in the morning.

Road Trip withdrew because of the lack of wind.
Black Shadow withdrew because they lost their spinnaker halyard on the top of the mast.

We had a good start on a port keeping in front of several boats all the way to the T2 buoy in Toronto.  Flying a symmetrical spinnaker, we were the second boat to the mark behind Sumac.

We had a hard time dousing the spinnaker at the mark and hoisting the #1.  The experienced Gruntled crew did a perfect douse and set on their #1 and went roaring past us.

We stayed on the rhum line beating back into the east wind.  We tried an asymmetrical spinnaker, but it wasn't any faster than the #1, and was difficult to fly.

We sailed into a no wind zone about 4 miles south of cathedral bluffs with 3 boats behind us, and floundered around for several hours.  Boats that went offshore didn't see this wind hole.  For much of the time between Toronto and Ajax we were only doing 2-3 knots of boat speed.

The wind never did swing to the SW like we were hoping.  It did fill in to about 10 knots from the east for the last hour (5 miles of the race).  We had a tacking duel with Kalona (Aloha 34) near the finish and beat them across the line in the rain.

As we came into the harbour, the skies let go with major rain and thunderstorms.

Trip Odometer: 66.70 miles
Moving Average: 4.3 knots
Moving Time: 15:34:00

Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130621.kmz

Santeria Delivery from Newcastle

Neil and I are racing his Able Pointin 24 Santeria in the overnight Whitby 50 race on Friday, so he delivered the boat tonight

I drove him back to Newcastle.

Kinda funny looking in the picture above

• Santeria
• Galaxsea (CS30)
• Still Time (CS34)
• Aftica (Catalina 320)

All Newcastle boats!

Plus off the bow of these boats are Frank's and John's power boats.  
Further down the dock is little Still Time, and Wade's and Mel's Night Cap II.

Santeria in Newcastle

Only two boats out for Whitby single handed, so decided to skip the series.

Went out to Newcastle to sail on Santeria.  They had been getting several boats out for races, but everyone chickened out with the weather.  Nasty rain, strong east wind 20 knots with gusts in the 30s.

Neil, Peter, and I put our foulies on and headed out for a heavy air sail on Santeria using a double reef and #3 jib.  We went a couple miles out in the lake at 6+ knots the entire time in complete control.  After tacking back, we were surfing waves with 10+ knots of boat speed! 

Because of the waves coming in the channel, we couldn't deploy the outboard motor without submerging it, so we dropped the jib just outside of the harbour, and sailed into the channel under the double reefed main.  Once in the harbour, we deployed and started the motor, and dropped the main.

I love sailing with Neil and Peter!

Trip Odometer: 4.73 miles
Moving Average: 6.3 knots
Maximum Speed: 10.6 knots
Moving Time: 00:44:57

Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130606.kmz

GOPRO mounted on the stern rail, video to come!

Santeria First Sail

Went down to the club after work and mounted the wind instrument on the top of the mast, riveted the bracket for the TV antenna to the side of the mast, and dry fitted the starboard jib track on little Still Time.

Got down to Newcastle a little after 6pm.

Neil and I went out with his new North Sail Asymetric Spinnaker!
Awesome, we got the boat going close to 6 knots the entire time with only 6-8 knots of wind.
We went about 3 miles (one beer) out in the lake.

Trip Odometer: 8.31 miles
Moving Avg: 4.7 knots
Moving Time: 01:45:00

Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130507.kmz